Of Beauty, War and Luxury – 5 Middle Eastern Museums & Galleries to Visit

From the Civil Wars to the richness of their oil, the Middle Eastern countries have witnessed both war and luxury. Here are the 5 museums and galleries in Middle East that you must visit to appreciate this beautiful region.

1. Amna Suraka

  Image credits: http://bit.ly/1izqKjI Formerly an infamous Iraqi Intelligence Service, Amna Suraka was a death prison in which thousands of people were slaughtered, tortured or starved till their last breath. After its liberation in 1991, the building was turned into Iraq’s first war-crime museum. Now, the Amna Suraka stands out as the most notable museum in Iraq.

2. Tareq Rajab Museum

Image credits: http://bit.ly/OTMbC4 Tareq Rajab Museum was used to house private collections of Islamic art by Kuwait’s first minister and his British wife. Now it accommodates exquisite ethnographically valuable items from musical instruments suspended in the air to gold and silver jewellery. Among these marvellous historic artefacts from the Muslim world, the most prized possessions are the Arabic manuscripts that are more than 1000 years old.

3. Bahrain National Museum

Image credits: Anthony DeCosta As the most popular tourist attraction in Bahrain, the museum is an excellent place to start an intriguing introduction to the history of the country. The museum is designed in postmodern building that showcases the archaeological findings from ancient Dilmun (Eastern Arabia). Among these treasure troves are earthenware, burial jars and carnelian beads.

4. Museum of Islamic Art

Image credits: http://bit.ly/1o0eQF5 The Museum of Islamic Art lies in purity and peace behind a breathtaking view of the landscape of lawns and rows of ornamental trees. The museum is shaped like a postmodern fortress with a few windows to limit the access of light. It safeguards some of the largest collection of Islamic art in the world.

5. Kuwait Scientific Centre

Image credits: http://bit.ly/1hqDCFJ Apart from its unique sail-shaped building, the Kuwait Scientific Centre has the largest and most enthralling aquarium in the Middle East. It is home to shoals of black-spotted sweetlips and the ingenious mudskippers. It also provides children with interactive learning opportunities where they can create sand dunes.